How?

[jeremyboycool]

How do you guys get such sharp, clear and bright! images?

Am I doing something wrong, could I maybe get some filters to help, or is it my camera?

 

[Deadeye008]

A lot will definitely depend on your camera and lenses but knowing how to use them properly will help also. There is a lot you can do in post-processing as well to improve your images.

 

[JIP]

While shooting and post-processing skills do have alot to do with the quality of your images gear does play a role. When I campare the images I shoot with my slow kit lens to the ones I shoot with my 70-200 2.8 there is really no caompariso in the sharpness and quality of the shots.

 

[jstuedle]

With practice, you will improve. We all work to get it right in the camera and do as little in post processing as possible. Filters are for effects, not brighter/sharper images. With rare exceptions, any added "stuff" you hang between your lens and the subject will only detract from the sharpness of the image. usually not so much it is readily apparent, but any additional things the light has to pass through before it gets to the sensor/film will negatively affect the image.

 

[Garbz]

It also depends on you to a degree. Are you shooting at the aperture where your lens is sharp? Wide open = bad because the edge of the lens isn't as sharp as the centre, smallest aperture = bad because of diffraction.

To see how sharp you can get something try this:
Go outside on a bright sunny day. Shoot away from the light, not into it, but photograph something that is lit by it. Set ISO100 (low noise), set shutter speed ~1/1000th and aperture at f/5.6 (for an f/4 lens), or 1/500th at f/8 (for a f/5.6 lens). Mix and match the shutter but keep it as fast as possible and keep your aperture 1 stop from wide open.

This is by definition as ideal as it can get. The Aperture uses the lens at it's fastest, the shutter speed ensure there is no camera shake, and no mirror shake, and the low iso keeps the noise down.

Remember if in doubt use a tripod. If you don't have a solid tripod and you need to shoot somewhere between 1 and 1/100th of a second use mirror lock-up if you have it to prevent mirror shake from blurring the image.

And most importantly remember: Even a slightly blurry image will look sharp when you resize it to 640x480 to post here!

 

[fmw]

I'll second what Garbz said. Your camera is perfectly competent and can take sharp, beautiful images. A pro could make better images with your camera than you could with his. You need to learn about using low ISO settings, avoiding camera shake and motion blur and mastering control of depth of field. These are all subjects that any basic book on photography will cover.

 

[ksmattfish]

Read up on exposure and how light meters work. Light meters, as sophisticated as they are these days, are still dumb machines. Getting the right exposure is vital for good looking photographs, as well as understanding the limitations of the gear, such as dynamic range, and how to work around them.

Always use a lens hood.

Learn to use the in-camera image processing software or post processing software: color correction, contrast, and sharpening.

For hand held shooting the anecdote that goes around is to use a minimum shutter speed of 1/focal length of the lens, but it can vary depending on the person and the gear. If you can get the shutter speed up to two or three times 1/focal length you are much safer from camera shake.

Or use a tripod (sturdy enough for the gear), and cable release (or self timer).

Just like polarizing sunglasses, a correctly used polarizing filter will reduce glare, and increase saturation. There are lighting situations, like when a bright light source is in front of the camera, when filters (such as a protective UV filter) can flare causing a reduction in contrast and saturation.

Practice manually focusing occasionally, and don't be afraid to turn off the AF. Focusing is a skill like any other. Even if your AF works great, there are times when you'll do better to manually focus.

 

[Groupcaptainbonzo]

Is it me or what?.

There are many different reasons why an image is not Sharp, Clear, Bright... And no one will be able to help you without seeing something that you have done. This way we can drop a hint or two towards helping you get some better results.If the definition is high enough .. So post a few, and let us have a look.
really surprised that no one mentioned this before...

 

[jeremyboycool]

Well thanks for the great suggestions!

I will continue to work at it and see what I can come up with, than if it's cool I post back my results.

Groupcaptainbonzo,

This is the only image that I have with me that I would like to be sharper and clearer.